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Trent Owen helped James Buescher (above) win a Nationwide race in Daytona back in February. Now he will try to help Bill Elliot win in the Sprint Cup Series, as he will be the new crew chief for Turner Motorsports. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Turner Motorsports announced on Monday that Trent Owens will serve as crew chief of the No. 50 Walmart Chevrolet with driver Bill Elliott in the team’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Daytona International Speedway in July.

Owens currently calls the shots for Turner Motorsports’ No. 30 Nationwide Series entry and led the team to victory in the 2012 season opener at Daytona.

A former driver himself, Owens is a longtime fixture in the NASCAR garage. The Darlington, S.C., native served as crew chief for six years for Braun Racing and remained with the organization through its acquisition by Turner Motorsports two years ago.

Over the years, Owens has been successful working with a variety of drivers with different levels of experience. Prior to his win in the Feb. 25 Nationwide event at Daytona with rookie James Buescher, Owens last season led veterans Mark Martin (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and Reed Sorenson (Road America) to victory lane. In 2007, he served as crew chief for Dave Blaney in his win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.